# MTA Shield vs PDF Master

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MTA Shield at none against PDF Master's 12. MTA Shield also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). PDF Master's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (200 vs 14). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Master sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. MTA Shield asks for nothing beyond the download.

MTA Shield holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Master has 200 ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two.

MTA Shield ships an update every 8 months, PDF Master every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 16, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MTA Shield | PDF Master |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mta-shield-identity/id1514627749/reviews)** | [4.3 (200 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-master-editor-reader/id6471487318/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 14 | **200** |
| Positive reviews | — | 9.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Subscription |
| Size | 277 MB | 119 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Matanuska Telephone](https://appshunter.io/developer/1381365356) | [CheeseJoy Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1727983156) |

## What reviewers say

### MTA Shield

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mta-shield-identity/id1514627749)

Secure your mobile devices and personal information from online threats. Protect your family with parental controls, locate lost devices, and safeguard your online activities with a VPN and password vault. Requires an active MTA Internet subscription.

**Highlights:** Device protection from online threats, Online banking and shopping security, Lost/stolen device location and protection, Parental controls and content management, VPN for privacy, Password vault, Web-based family device management

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### PDF Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-master-editor-reader/id6471487318)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing PDF documents on iOS. It allows users to scan physical documents and gallery images into PDFs, create new PDFs from scratch, view existing files, merge multiple PDFs, and extract text using OCR technology.

**Highlights:** Scan photos to PDF, Convert gallery images to PDF, Create new PDF files, View and read PDF documents, Merge multiple PDF files, OCR text recognition

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Master | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Pro | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Year | $29.99 | per year |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Year | $34.99 | per year |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Year | $39.99 | per year |
| PDF Master Pro | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MTA Shield free?

MTA Shield is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is PDF Master free?

PDF Master is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, MTA Shield or PDF Master?

MTA Shield is rated higher. MTA Shield averages 4.6 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while PDF Master averages 4.3 from 200 ratings.

### Do MTA Shield or PDF Master have ads?

PDF Master shows ads; MTA Shield does not.

### Which is updated more often, MTA Shield or PDF Master?

MTA Shield ships an update every 8 months, and PDF Master every 2 weeks. Most recently, MTA Shield was updated on August 16, 2026 and PDF Master on September 27, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*